Speed Review, David’s Tea!

Work kicked my butt in May and I got sick, which means I barely tried any skincare but plowed through my tea stash like there’s no tomorrow. I usually drink loose leaf green tea or floral tea since the cheap ones in teabag usually contains too many chemicals, and the fruit flavors taste artificial. However, I happened by Teavanna one day and fell in love with their fruit teas. Last year I happen to came upon David’s Tea and decided to try them. It’s similar to Teavanna, but I like the fact that their tea containers have a compartment on top with samples of the tea to let you see/sniff. Teavanna opens the whole jar to let you sniff, so when you buy in store, your tea may have been sniffed by who knows how many people. Maybe that is why Teavanna teas are not as flavorful as David’s Tea.

I left with just a little packet of matcha, which comes in a zip lock bag and keeps the flavor much better than Teavanna’s paper bag. I had the matcha for about 3-4 months before it starts to lose its color/flavor. So I went back and ordered a variety of fruity low-caffeine tea. Now that I’ve tried (and finished) most of them, thanks to being sick, it looks like a good time for a speed review. I ordered the cute starry teapot above from David’s Tea website, and you get to choose 3 tea samples with every online purchase, so I’ll review these first:

White Nectarine – It smells like a freshly plucked juicy yellow peach! I did realize, after looking at the ingredients, that it’s really apricot tea with peach flavoring. But it have no artificial flavoring and taste just like the Peach Tea from Honest Tea that I love. If you like sweets and is trying to get into tea but don’t like the planty taste, this would be a good introduction.

Forever Nuts – It’s pink and smells so nutty! After the tea was brewed, it smells like a delicious apple crumble. You know, the baked ones with heaps of apples, topped with cinnamon crumbles and plenty of nuts, but in tea form. It just turned summer, but this makes me want it to be fall already so I can watch the autumn leaves while sipping on this.

Raspberry Cream Pie – It smells like raspberry cheesecake, and taste almost like one but without as much sugar. I can taste the sweetness and cream definitely. I can also taste the raspberry but wish it’s more pronounced. There is a hint of artificial flavor and it is not very tea-like. Because it have bits of white chocolate, it also left the cup a tad oily.

Each sample is good for 2 cups, although you do lose a bit of flavor on the second cup. And they are more flavorful than Teavanna, although I’m not sure if it’s due to the quality of the tea or how they store them. Anyways, after browsing their catalog online for caffeine-free tea with no artificial flavoring, I went in store and picked up a few more.

Bear Trap – It brews to a beautiful dark pink/red color. It taste like berries with a hint of tartness from the citrus, and pairs wonderfully with floral or green tea if you prefer fruit tea instead of just fruit. If you find fruit juice way too sugary, or want to make your pure tea leaves more interesting, this is awesome.

Magic Dragon – It is a light pink tea. It taste like tea leaves with a hint of sweet, a hint of sour and tartness from the dragonfruit. It is wonderful if you like tea with a nice tart fruity flavor. I’m loving this, especially for the summer.

Serenity Now – It smells lovely! Seriously, if this is not a tea I’d totally go for it as potpourri or perfume. It have a minty lavender scent with a hint of sweetness from the currant. I wasn’t too sure about the lavender, but I do like the fruity flavor with mint undertone. It doesn’t taste too floral and I drank it a lot when I was sick, so now I’m loving it.

Matcha Matsu – Honestly I haven’t tried enough matcha to tell the difference between different quality. David’s Tea currently offers three types of pure matcha. I originally bought the Ceremonial Matcha, which smells and taste creamy, almost as if someone already added 1/4 teaspoon of cream/milk in it. The Matcha Matsu taste more planty and not really creamy while Grand Cru Matcha is inbetween. I like planty tea, and when I make matcha dessert, I want the matcha to add that green, clean planty taste, so I went for Matcha Matsu this time. It is good.

Mother’s Little Helper – It smells like a minty floral. It taste minty and chamomile with a hint of fruity undertone. It is great if you like mint and it is calming, but one of the herbs in the tea doesn’t seem to agree with me.

…which reminds me. If you have allergies or problems with any fruits, herbs or plants, check the ingredients of your tea mix before buying! Overall, I like the David’s Tea I tried. They are flavorful and clean tasting, so they are great by themselves hot/cold or blended with other things. My taste gets more fruity in the summer and I like making ice tea, so I’m currently a big fan of Bear Trap, Magic Dragon and White Nectarine. I would totally buy Serenity Now just for that floral and calming smell, but it’s also the perfect cup of tea for relaxing after a stressful day. So, do you like tea? What type do you like?